He died yesterday. 

The Canadian had been the founding President of the ITU in 1989 and held the post until 2008.

McDonald is widely credited with triathlon being introduced into the programme of the Olympic Games.

"Les was not only an extraordinary person, he was part of the triathlon family, and will be always remembered," ITU President Marisol Casado said. 

"His impact on the global evolution of our sport, and the governing body, was very significant. 

"Those of us who were privileged to share this journey with him are immensely sadden at this moment. 

"He lived a plentiful life, dedicated to triathlon, and we will continue to live with his legacy to make sure the sport is always about the athletes."

The son of a coal miner, McDonald was born in Felling upon Tyne, near Newcastle in the northeast of Britain in April 1933. 

He started working while he was still a young boy, only 14, and became interested in mountain climbing, tackling major routes in the Alps and many first ascents in North America.

It was during a climbing and ski trip to Austria that he met his wife Monique and they married in 1954 and settled in Vancouver, where McDonald found work as an electrician. 

They have three children, Ian, Helen and Daniel. 

McDonald was part of the group that founded Whistler, building its first ski lift, helping construct the first power line in from Squamish, even serving on the unsuccessful Vancouver-Garibaldi bid for the 1976 Winter Olympics. 

The network of cross-country ski trails near the Whistler village are his work, where one challenging trail’s jump bears his name "Les’ Leap".

McDonald began competing in marathons in the 1970s and then discovered triathlon, tried one in California, and brought the sport back to Vancouver, staging the first event in Vancouver in 1981.

He founded the Canadian Triathlon Federation - later Triathlon Canada - in 1984 and served as its first President until 1996. 

McDonald remained a keen competitor and for five consecutive years beginning in 1983 he won the over 50 World Championships.

McDonald was approached by then International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch to help develop triathlon so it could be included on the Olympic programme. 

McDonald and Sweden’s IOC member Sture Johnasson, co-chaired a working group to establish the sport’s International Federation and in 1989 the ITU was formed with McDonald as its first President, based in his hometown, Vancouver.

In 1994, the IOC confirmed that triathlon would be included on the Olympic programme as a full-fledged medal sport for the first time at Sydney 2000.

McDonald served as President of the ITU until 2008 when he was replaced by Casado. 

He survived allegations of alleging ballot-rigging and financial mismanagement but his biggest legacy will be getting the sport into the Olympics only 26 years after it was invented. 

In 2010 he was awarded the Olympic Order by Samaranch's successor Jacques Rogge and in 2013 received the Order of Canada. 

In 2014 when the inaugural Hall of Fame of ITU was launched, McDonald was inducted with the lifetime achievement.

Loreen Barnett, a long-time associate of McDonald and now vice-president of the ITU, paid tribute to her friend. 

"Les’ greatest legacy is the number of opportunities that he created for women; athletes, officials and administrators," she said. 

"Les’ grandmother was a suffragette in the UK in the early decades of the last century, and her lessons on equality for women in terms of reward and opportunity guided Les’ work during his leadership role within ITU. 

"Hundreds of women, including myself, benefitted from his belief in the equal ability of women."

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